Como Park’s soccer journey this fall started with team-bonding campouts, family dinners and the meshing of personalities designed to focus on teamwork and on-field success. The road will end in the Metrodome, the destination all Minnesota high school soccer teams covet because it hosts the semifinals, third-place and championship games.

The top-ranked Cougars reversed their fate of a season ago with a 2-1 victory over Waseca in the Class A quarterfinals of the boys soccer state tournament Friday night at St. Louis Park High School. Como Park, which lost in the small-school quarterfinals last year in its only other state tournament appearance, scored two goals in the first half to earn a berth in the semifinals on Monday at the Metrodome.

Como Park (17-0-3) is the first St. Paul City Conference team to play in the Metrodome for the state semifinals since Central finished runner-up in the big-school class in 2003.

“Everything clicks with this team because we are a family on and off the field,” said senior midfielder Max Inskeep, who was credited with Como Park’s first goal that was actually an own-goal by Waseca. “This has been such a special year. We don’t want it to end. The journey will continue.”

Como Park allowed itself to celebrate for about five minutes before thoughts quickly turned to a training session on Saturday morning and more preparations for the final two steps of what could produce the first boys soccer championship for a St. Paul City Conference school. Cougars coach Eric Erickson said the team is treating the state tournament appearance as a business trip.

“We are really focused on what we want to accomplish,” he said. “This game can really be fickle at times, and we need to stay sharp and to stay on top of things to see this opportunity through.”

Some of that fickleness paid off for the Cougars in the 10th minute when Inskeep, deep on the right flank, sent a centering into the goal area. The shot deflected off a Waseca defender who was trying to assist goalkeeper Josh Metzdorff and into the Bluejays’ goal.

“I wasn’t looking for anyone in particular,” Inskeep said with a smile. “When you put the ball in front of the net, good things can happen.”

The Cougars went up 2-0 in the 31st minute on a goal set up on a free kick by Zach Lee. Instead of firing away from outside of the penalty area, he opted for a short-range pass to Jacob Cohen, who was alone at the top of the penalty area. Cohen, with no defender on him, fired a low shot to the far left corner, easily beyond the reach of Metzdorff.

— Hill-Murray and Totino-Grace played 100 minutes of scoreless regulation and overtime at Chisago Lakes High School, and the shootout procedure was just as intense. Hill-Murray advanced to next week’s small-school semifinals with a 9-8 edge in the tie-breaking procedure.

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